Hospital reviewing huge bill for scorpion sting

PHOENIX (AP) - A suburban Phoenix hospital that billed a woman more than $83,000 for administering two doses of scorpion antivenom says it plans to adjust the woman's bill and review its price for the expensive specialty medication.

The Arizona Republic reports that Chandler Regional Medical Center officials did the about-face after initially demanding that Marcie Edmonds of Phoenix pay about $25,000 that her insurance company did not pay.

The hospital charged Edmonds nearly $40,000 each for the two shots of the drug Anascorp she received in the emergency room after being bitten by a scorpion in June. The drug goes for $100 in Mexico.

It isn't clear whether the hospital will drop the entire balance of Edmonds' bill. It apologized for any distress caused by the cost of her treatment.